A Formulaic and Algorithmic Problem - Essay Example

Answer Each Question with Short Answers Of 2 to 3 Sentences 01- What is/are the difference(s) between a formulaic and algorithmic problem ANS: Algorithmic problem is step-by-step problem solving procedure that is completed in a finite number of steps and formulaic problem is set of symbols used in any procedure or algorithmic problems. 02- What are the advantage(s) of network computers as compared to 'ordinary' microcomputers for organizations with large numbers of desktop computers ANS: 1. Network Computers are centralized systems in which multiple computers are connected with one Server and all other systems are clients only server needs to store data. 2. If one system break down that other systems work don't stop their work but in microcomputers if one system break down the others also stop working the one's dependent on it. 03- How does a network computer differ from an 'ordinary' microcomputer ANS: Network computer is dependent on other systems but microcomputer is independent. A network computer perform a specific task and for other operations it depend on server or other systems but Microcomputer control all it's operation by it own self. 04- How does a supercomputer differ from a mainframe ANS: Cost, I/O capacity, computational capacity, and number of simultaneous users. A supercomputer has higher cost and higher computational capacity. A mainframe has higher I/O capacity and can support a larger number of simultaneous users. 05- What is the difference between an application program and a systems program ANS: Application programs are special purpose programs like ms excel, word, calculator. System program are operating systems like MS window, Linux 06- Why are floating points calculations (real math) subject to error ANS: Floating points calculations often subject to error because rounding-off a floating-point lead to errors. 07- Why are integer math operations generally faster than floating point (real) math operations ANS: Integer math operations are faster then floating point math operations because number of bits needed to solve integer math operation is lesser than the floating-point math operations. 08- Why isn't the result of evaluating the expression 'K' = 'k' true ANS: 'K' = 'k' both results are not equal because both are evaluating different expressions so their result also be different. 09- How/why is a branch instruction really a data movement instruction ANS: A branch instruction is not a data movement instruction because branch instruction jump from one instruction to another but don't move data from one instruction to another. 10- How can the speed at which an electrical circuit performs its function be increased ANS: Acircuitis an unbroken loop of conductive material that allows electrons to flow through continuously without beginning or end.Generally as the feature size shrinks, almost everything improves-the cost per unit and the switching power consumption go down, and the speed goes up. 11- What are the advantages of gallium arsenide (as compared to silicon) for the implementation of microprocessors ANS: It has smaller molecular size and thus (in theory) smaller circuits can be fabricated from it. It has both electrical and optical properties. 12- Why does the reliability of magnetic storage media generally decrease as recording density increases ANS: Higher density means less surface area per bit. Less surface area per bit means less mass of coercible material. Less coercible mass means reduced ability to hold a charge high enough to be reliably read and to allow for magnetic leakage, decay, and other destructive factors. 13- What factors contribute to the loss of data stored on tapes ANS: If system crashes leading to incomplete sessions. Hardware problems causing incorrect or incomplete write operations Corrupted media or databases. Due to malicious external agents like viruses and hackers 14- What are the advantages of optical data storage devices as compared to magnetic data storage devices ANS: Optical storage devices are read by a laser beam. Generally they have a more limited storage capacity when compared to magnetic devices. However, one advantage is that they are more hard wearing than magnetic devices. 15- What is/are the benefit(s) of allowing a device other than the CPU to be a bus master ANS: Peripheral to peripheral transfers (e.g., disk to memory) can be performed without CPU assistance, thus freeing the CPU to do other things concurrently with the bus transfer operation. 15- Why is some form of advanced CPU memory access (e.g., memory caching and/or a separate CPU/memory bus) needed to realize the benefits of a multiple master system bus ANS: Because either method reduces the need for the CPU to use the bus for memory accesses, thus freeing up bus cycles for use by other bus masters 16- What are the advantages of utilizing logical (as opposed to physical) device views when implementing CPU to device communication across the system bus ANS: It simplifies the bus protocol by reducing the number of different commands required to perform read/write operations. 17- What are the advantages of utilizing logical (as opposed to physical) device views when implementing CPU to device communication across the system bus ANS: It simplifies the bus protocol by reducing the number of different commands required to perform read/write operations. 18- Describe the logical view of a disk storage device. Describe the physical view of a disk storage device. ANS: The logical view is a linear address space. The physical view mirrors the physical properties of the disk drive - platters, platter sides, tracks, and sectors. 19- Why does CPU load decrease as buffer size increases ANS: When you decrease the buffer size you increase the number of "outside loop" operations, and thus you increase the load on the CPU. When you computer gets too busy it may not complete the buffer loop in time to deliver its samples to the mixing bus, which, in turn, has to deliver to the driver/soundcard. The result will be unpleasant cackling noise. 20- How may a cache be used to improve the efficiency of writing data to a disk drive ANS: The device controller acknowledges completion of the write request as soon as the data is written to the cache but before it is written to the disk. 21- How may a cache be used to improve the efficiency of reading data from a disk drive ANS: The cache controller attempts to guess what data will be read and prefetch it into the cache before a read request is received. 22- What is/are the advantage(s) of image description languages as compared to bitmaps ANS:An image description language can describe a graphic image in much more compact form than a bit map 23- Briefly describe three common bar code formats. ANS: Code 39 (also called Code 3 of 9) is an easy-to-print barcode commonly used for various bar-coding labels such as name badges, inventory and industrial applications. The Universal Product Code was the first bar code to be widely adopted from as early as April 1973 by the US grocery industry for product marking. Code 2 of 5, sometimes called Code 2 from 5 and the interleaved 2 of 5 barcodes can represent the digits 0-9. In use since the late 1960's, it is a popular choice for airline tickets, photo developing envelopes and internal warehouse systems. 24- Briefly describe the difference(s) between bar code scanners and mark sensors. ANS: Bar code scanners are manufactured to read the imprinted bar code where as mark sensors are designed to read mechanically or manually read items passed by their scanners. They can be fixed at any location. 25- What is/are the advantage(s) of MIDI as compared to digital sound files ANS: A MIDI representation of music is much more compact, thus saving storage space and data transmission capacity. 26- What are the comparative advantages of digital signals over analog signals What are the comparative disadvantages ANS: Digital signals are less susceptible to transmission error. Analog signals have greater data carrying capacity 27- What are the components of a communication channel ANS: The physical components are the sender, receiver, and transmission medium (or media). Conceptually, a channel also includes the communication protocol. 28- Describe the relationship among bandwidth, data transfer rate, and signal frequency. ANS: It makes the most sense to think of bandwidth in terms of a river. ... Bluetooth wireless technology uses adaptive frequency hopping as its form of ... The maximum possible rate of data transfer under optimal conditions. ... access point to transfer information to one another, as well as receive internet signal. ... 29- Why will the actual data transfer rate of a channel usually be less than the theoretical maximum implied by the technology used to implement the channel ANS: A polynomial code can detect any error burst of length less than or equal to.... Usually the actual serial binary data to be transmitted over the cable are not ... channel is the theoretical maximum information transfer rate of the channel. 30- How does a channel's signal-to-noise ratio affect the reliability of data transmission ANS: Transmission errors increase and S/N ratio decreases. As the 'true' signal power decreases the receiver has greater difficulty separating it from 'false' signal elements (i.e., noise and distortion) and thus makes more interpretation errors. 31- What is the difference between an amplifier and a repeater ANS: An amplifier increases the power of whatever is present at its input. A repeater listens to its input, interprets its data content, and generates a new outgoing signal of equivalent data content. Amplifiers are simpler but amplify noise and distortion in their input signal. Repeaters are more complex, but generate a 'clean' output signal. 32- What are the advantages of wireless transmission using RF waves as compared to infrared waves ANS: Wireless transmission allows the information to transfer without any cable or wire. It boost up the speed of information to be transferred. 33- Describe the relationship between Type I and Type II errors ANS: Type I (): reject the null-hypothesis when the null-hypothesis is true, and Type II (): fail to reject the null-hypothesis when the null-hypothesis is false 34- Describe the differences between even and odd parity checking. ANS: Both count the number of one bit in a data item (usually a character) and append a check bit. Even parity appends a one-valued bit if the number of one-valued data bits is even. Odd parity appends a one-valued bit if the number of one-valued data bits is odd. 35- Why are point-to-point connections impractical for the majority of computer networks ANS: In large networks point to point connection is impractical because no of length of links require too much infrastructure be cost efficient and the majority of those links would be idle most of the time imagine a network of six devices A,B,C,D,E,and F. A has point to point links to devices B,C,D,E AND F then when only A and B are connected, The link connecting Ato each other devices are idle and wasted. 36- Describe the decisions a router makes when routing message among local nodes and when routing messages from local nodes to remote nodes. ANS: A router connected to a node breaks, then the node can continue sending and receiving messages via the second channel. A backpressure signal stops transmission from the preceding node. When the queues on current node fill up. Backpressure propagates backwards in the network; anyway it propagates only in case of traffic (in absence of traffic, no propagation and no info on remote congestion) 37- Why does a network that uses CSMA/CD generally have an actual (or effective) message carrying capacity that is substantially less than the theoretical message carrying capacity of the hardware used to implement that network ANS: When each computer connected to the LAN has little data to send, the network exhibits almost equal access time for each NIC. However, if one NIC starts sending an excessive number of frames, it may dominate the LAN. Such conditions may occur, for instance, when one NIC in a LAN acts as a source of high quality packetised video. The effect is known as "Ethernet Capture". 38- What is a token How is it used to prevent collision ANS: : In a token ring network (a type of local area network developed by IBM), all computers connect to each other in a ring or star topology and a bit- or token-passing schemeis used to prevent data collision due two computers simultaneously transferring data.To prevent data collision, token ring configuration allow uses to take turns at data transmission These two will require a paragraph 39- Grosch's Law states that computer hardware power, as measured by the number of instructions a processor can execute in a fixed time interval, increases in proportion to the square of hardware cost. Is the law true and valid at present Why or why not The law can also be interpreted as meaning that computers presenteconomies of scale: the more costly is the computer; theprice-performance ratiolinearly becomes better. This implies that low-cost computers cannot compete in the market. In the end, a few huge machines would serve all the world's computing needs. Supposedly, this could promptThomas Watsonto predict at the time a total global computing market of fivemainframe computers. To provide a modern example: this law states, that to have a computer 100 times as powerful as a modernPCthe owner would need to pay only 10 times as much. The relevance of Grosch's law today is a debated subject. Paul Strassmann asserted in 1997, that Grosch's law is now "thoroughly disproved" and serves "as a reminder that the history of economics of computing has had an abundance of unsupported misperceptions." Grosch himself has stated that the law was more useful in the 1960s and 1970s than it is today. He originally intended the law to be a "means for pricing computing services."Grosch also explained that more sophisticated ways of figuring out costs for computer installations mean that his law has limited applicability for today's IT managers. 40- How is a cache similar and different from a buffer ANS: A buffer is a contemporary collection of location where a huge amount of data is managed or disassembled. This may be basic for interaction with a set of collection device that needs huge blocks of information, or when data must be given in a many way than that in which it is made, or rarely considerable when less blocks are not sufficient. The advantage is here even if the buffered data are stored to the buffer in one time and get from the buffer once. A cache, on the other side, thinks that the data will be get from the cache more one time than they are written on them.Its aim is to less the accesses to the underlying stock. Buffer is a programmable cache managed by the operating system in the main storage and is used to have the most necessary data from disk, so that they don't have to be gotten again from the memory. This feature is available by the operating system. While cache is in real a hardware that the CPU uses to reduced the effective memory access time. Read More